Department for Transport

Heathrow Airport

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the rate of landing charges on the business case for the expansion at Heathrow Airport.

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the rate of landing charges at Heathrow Airport on (a) passengers, (b) airlines and (c) the public purse.

Jesse Norman: The Airports Commission found that despite an increase in airport charges, fares paid by passengers could remain level or even fall due to the benefits of expansion. In 2016 the Secretary of State set out his ambition for airlines and Heathrow to work together to develop solutions for expansion which keep airport charges close to current levels. In April 2018, the Civil Aviation Authority published their latest consultation on ‘the economic regulation of capacity expansion at Heathrow’ which concludes that ‘there are credible scenarios in which capacity expansion can be delivered affordably and financeably, with airport charges per passenger remaining close to current levels in real terms and line with the ambition expressed by the SoS on these matters in 2016’. The Government has been clear that increases in airport capacity must be funded by the private sector.

Heathrow Airport

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that the public purse is not liable to cover costs arising from (a) increased construction costs of the expansion of Heathrow airport, (b) loss of income owing to lower than estimated passenger demand at that airport and (c) delays to the opening of the new runway and connected facilities there owing to failure to meet air quality standards.

Jesse Norman: The Government has always been clear that any scheme for additional airport capacity should be financed by the private sector. The Airports Commission concluded that all three of its shortlisted schemes were financeable without Government support. As set out in the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement, independent financial advisers have undertaken further work for the Government, and agree that all three schemes are financeable without Government support. Heathrow has a strong track record of proven demand, which has proven resilient to previous economic downturns. However, in the extreme scenario of financial distress, there would be no predetermined basis for Government intervention. The Government has assessed the impact of the Government’s Air Quality Plan and the latest aviation demand forecasts on the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme’s compliance with air quality limit values. Its analysis demonstrates that the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme can be delivered in compliance with air quality obligations, alongside a suitable package of policy and mitigation measures.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Intellectual Property

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received on the potential erosion of UK intellectual property resulting from potential UK trade partners introducing widening copyright exceptions.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government receives representations from creative industry stakeholders which raise a range of issues relating to copyright. We are aware that a number of our potential future trading partners are currently reviewing their respective domestic intellectual property frameworks, including limitations and exceptions to copyright. The Government believes that copyright owners should receive appropriate remuneration for use of their works, wherever that may be in the world. To this end, we support adherence to the standards set by international copyright treaties, including the Berne Convention’s “three step test” which ensures that exceptions to copyright are proportionate.

Clothing and Social Services: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of non-compliance with the (a) national living wage and (b) national minimum wage in the (i) garment and (ii) social care industry.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make leading brands jointly responsible for non-compliance with the national living wage within their supply chains.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government has made clear its commitment to crack down on worker exploitation across all sectors of the labour market and welcomes the Labour Market Enforcement Strategy 2018 -19. There is significant crossover and alignment between this strategy and the government's response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices and subsequent consultations. The Government will publish a response to the Director of Labour Market Enforcement's strategy later this year, once the consultations have closed and the government has considered the responses. Estimates of the number of jobs paid below National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage by Low Pay Sector (as defined by the Low Pay Commission) are available in Chart 3 on page 10 of the 2017 Government evidence to the LPC report- https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630197/nmw-nlw-lpc-evidence-compliance-enforcement-2017.pdf. These estimates are derived from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2016; and it should be noted that some textile and clothing occupations are included in the ‘Non-Low Paying Sectors’ category. The Government will publish new evidence to the Low Pay Commission containing ASHE 2017 estimates of jobs below minimum wage rates and enforcement stats for 2017/18 later this year. HMRC works closely with other government departments and agencies to tackle National Minimum Wage non-compliance and wider labour market risks, including in the garment and fashion manufacturing industry.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many contractors have been employed by his Department for (a) up to one year, (b) between one and five years, (c) between five and 10 years and (d) over 10 years.

Richard Harrington: The number of contractors who have been employed since April 2017 until April 2018 by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are:Time period No.Up to one year199Between one and five years13Between five and ten years0Over ten years0 ‘Up to one year’ time-period includes anyone who was recorded as a ‘contractor’ who was working for the Department for any period between 1 day up to 12 months.‘Between one and five years’ includes any ‘contractors’ who have been employed by the department for over 12 months. This does not include contractors whose contract is over 12 months in length but has yet to work for the department for that length of time.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not existed for over five years and as such would not have had contractors for that length of time.

Nuclear Power: Research

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and (b) Euratom on negotiations on a future association agreement for nuclear research between the UK and the EU.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The UK’s objective is to seek a close association with the Euratom Research and Training Programme, including JET and ITER, following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister reiterated this aim in her Jodrell Bank speech on 21 May, stating that the UK would like the option to fully associate ourselves with the excellence-based European science and innovation programmes, including Euratom Research and Training, and would be willing to make an appropriate financial contribution. On 23 May, the UK published its vision for the future UK-EU partnership on science and innovation[1], including on nuclear research, setting out the UK’s vison for a far-reaching science and innovation pact. Discussions about a potential future framework for collaboration on Science and Innovation are held with the Department for Exiting the European Union on an ongoing basis. UK officials had early discussions about such a potential framework, including the Euratom Research and Training Programme, with the EU’s Taskforce 50 on 22nd May and further discussions will be had in due course. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/framework-for-the-uk-eu-partnership-science-research-and-innovation.

Coal: Mining

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people were employed in the (a) deep mine and b) surface mine coal production industry in each year since 2010 up to the most recent year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The table below gives the number of people employed in deep mine and surface mine coal production in Great Britain at the end of each year since 2010:  Deep MinedSurface Mining20103,5462,46820113,6952,27720123,4412,38620131,9531,76220141,7661,83520154771,498201648783 Source: The data is provided by the Coal Authority and published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), table 2A, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/632495/Chapter_2.pdf

Energy Supply

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on supporting the development of new community energy projects.

Claire Perry: This Government is committed to empowering communities and these projects, which put local people in the driving seat, are an important part of a clean, secure and affordable energy system.To deliver this ambition, we announced a new Local Energy Programme in the Clean Growth Strategy and to date have committed £7m with a further £1m allocated for this year. This will support communities in all their forms, local authorities and local enterprise partnerships design and develop low carbon projects locally.Since 2013, the UK Government has committed over £16 million to support community energy, including:- a joint £15m Defra/BEIS Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF), which continues to offer support and feasibility and development finance for community-scale renewable energy projects in England- a local authority best practice community energy programme with Bristol City and supporting Greater Manchester through their Devolution deal and London on their community energy funds.- by supporting the Community Energy Hub, a digital platform owned and run by the community energy sector to enable peer networking and knowledge transfer.

Wind Power

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many wind farms have been established in each of the last five years.

Claire Perry: The table below sets out how many onshore and offshore wind farms have been established in the UK in each of the last five years for which full year data is available. Table 1: UK onshore and offshore wind farms that have become operational between January 1 2013 and 31 December 2017 Technology20132014201520162017Onshore wind9169566977Offshore wind41405 Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database (April 2018 extract) BEIS: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-planning-database-monthly-extract Note: extensions to existing sites have been counted as new sites.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2018 to Question 136701, what the criteria will be by which his Department will assess the cost-effectiveness of the potential additional deployment of offshore wind.

Claire Perry: Our sustained support for offshore wind has led to dramatic falls in costs. The cost effectiveness of offshore wind is demonstrated through its performance in competitive auctions. In the most recent 2017 Contracts for Difference auction two offshore wind projects cleared at £57.50/MWh, about half the cost of the cheapest offshore wind project in the 2015 auction.

Fracking

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 May 2018, HCWS 690 on Energy Policy, what representations he has received from (a) organisations, (b) businesses and (c) individuals on  fracking; which applications for exploratory fracking informed that statement; if he will publish the evidential basis for the statement that fracking will support jobs and the local economy; and what assessment he has made of the effect of fracking on the (i) insurance and (ii) tourism industry.

Claire Perry: We have worked closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government when producing the statement and consulted other relevant government departments, the Oil and Gas Authority, the Environment Agency, the Health and Safety Executive, the industry trade body and shale gas operators prior to the statement being made. More generally, we routinely receive large volumes of correspondence from a wide range of organisations regarding shale gas production, all of which inform our policy deliberation.A thriving UK shale industry could create a large number of jobs in the UK, indirectly support other industries, and help our economy grow. The Task Force on Shale Gas concluded in 2015 that the development of a shale gas industry would provide substantial employment in the UK, while noting that it will not be possible to ascertain an accurate estimate of the scale of this opportunity until we have a clearer idea of the amount of recoverable gas. Please see: https://www.taskforceonshalegas.uk/reports/Fourth%20ReportTo determine the potential of the industry and how development will proceed, we need exploration to go ahead and the measures set out in the statement fulfil the Government’s 2017 Manifesto commitments to support this industry.Independently verified figures show that during the last quarter of 2017, spend in the Lancashire economy from Cuadrilla’s shale gas operations increased to £6.8 million in total, with 55 full time and contract jobs and 6 apprenticeships created. Please see: https://cuadrillaresources.com/media-resources/press-releases/cuadrilla-drives-7m-lancashire-economy/There will be opportunities for the insurance industry in shale gas exploration and production. UK Government Investments are in ongoing discussions with insurance brokers to discuss exactly what kind of insurance they can provide. Separately, the industry trade body has been discussing possible insurance products directly with insurance providers.Regarding the impact on tourism, the UK has world class regulation to ensure that shale exploration can happen safely, respecting local communities and safeguarding the environment. For shale gas projects, the relevant planning authority decides whether activity is acceptable at a particular location, after local communities and other interested parties have had the opportunity to set out their view on the benefits and impacts of the proposal.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many contractors have been employed by her Department for (a) up to one year, (b) between one and five years, (c) between five and 10 years and (d) over 10 years.

Harriett Baldwin: The data relating to contractors is not held in a central source. Depending on the area of business, the responsibilities undertaken and the nature of the engagement, this could be held in several places. Consolidation would be manual and onerous. We consider there to be a disproportionate cost to provide this information.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much financial assistance her Department has given to projects in Palestine in each of the last ten years.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s Official Development Assistance directly to West Bank and Gaza Strip 2007 to 20162007200820092010201120122013201420152016£11.2m£55.4m£56.1m£58.0m£120.5m£58.3m£95.9m£109.4m£41.4m£43.9mThis includes DFID’s bilateral ODA to the West Bank and Gaza Strip including DFID’s contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for basic services and protection for Palestine refugees in the region. In the National Statistics “ Statistics on International Development” the UNRWA contribution is included in DFID’s multilateral ODA total. This is due to the OECD DAC international code rules.

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contribution her Department plans to make to the voluntary national review of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK enjoys enormous respect and influence on development issues, and was at the forefront of negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs provide a framework to tackle the most pressing global challenges of our time – extreme poverty and disease, global instability and conflict, mass migration, climate change and gender inequality – challenges that are at the core of DFID’s work.As such, DFID holds policy oversight for the SDGs, and we are working closely with the Cabinet Office and other Government Departments to develop our plans for the UK’s Voluntary National Review. We will ensure that the review takes account of the UK’s domestic and international contributions to this global agenda and will consult a wide range of stakeholders.

Developing Countries: Pneumonia

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle pneumonia in developing countries.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 23 February to Question number 128984.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help developing countries provide universal health coverage for the prevention and tackling diseases.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 17 May to Question number 143196.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to use the opportunity provided by the World Health Assembly to encourage developing countries to strengthen their healthcare systems.

Alistair Burt: Supporting developing countries to strengthen their health systems is a priority for the UK. At the World Health Assembly, the UK publicly voiced our support for the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) leadership on global health. DFID is funding the WHO to lead on strengthening health systems by stepping up its work on supporting Member States to improve access to quality medicines and diagnostics and to strengthen health information systems.

Department for Education

Sign Language: GCSE

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on enabling the introduction of a GCSE in British Sign Language.

Nick Gibb: There are no plans to introduce any new GCSEs in this Parliament, to allow schools a period of stability following the recent reforms. However, the Government is open to considering a proposal for a British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE for possible introduction in the longer term. We have indicated this to Signature, the awarding organisation proposing to develop a GCSE in BSL, and the National Deaf Children’s Society. Any new GCSE would need to meet the rigorous expectations for subject content, which are set by the Department for Education. It would also need to meet the expectations for assessment and regulatory requirements, which are set by Ofqual, the independent qualifications regulator. The Department and Ofqual will consider carefully any proposals put forward in due course.

Teachers: Qualifications

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the list of non-EEA countries that are recognised for the purposes of awarding Qualified Teacher Status in England.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education recognises the valuable contribution made to schools in England by overseas-trained teachers. Teachers from the non-EEA countries Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA may apply to have their Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) automatically recognised, as these countries are considered to have education systems suitably similar to that of England. The decision on which non-EEA countries are eligible to apply for QTS automatically is based upon a comprehensive comparative analysis of international initial teacher training systems, conducted by the UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC). This assessment concluded that there were no other countries with teacher training systems sufficiently similar to England’s to allow their teachers to apply directly without further training or conditions. However, if teachers from non-EEA countries have significant teaching experience, they may be able to undergo a school-based assessment of their abilities, known as the ‘Assessment Only’ route, which can lead to the award of QTS.

Students: Loans

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average length of time has been for monthly salary deductions collected by HMRC to be reconciled with individual accounts held by the Student Loans Company in each of the last three years.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much debt interest accrued on student loans for which salary deductions have already been made by HMRC in each of the last three years.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether debt interest is paid on portions of student loans for which salary deductions have already been made by HMRC.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Holding answer received on 24 May 2018



Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Student Loans Company (SLC) exchange information about salary deductions after the end of each tax year. SLC does not apply interest to accounts until the information about repayments is received from HMRC. This means that borrowers are not disadvantaged by the time taken to exchange the data between HMRC and SLC. The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2009 set out that the total amount a borrower has repaid over the last tax year should be treated as having been paid in equal instalments throughout the year, and interest is applied on this basis. SLC begins to process repayments data as soon as it is received from HMRC after the end of the relevant tax year. HMRC’s current target is to pass 92% of End of Year PAYE returns to SLC by 31 July 2018. SLC aims to have processed these returns by 31 August 2018. Last year, HMRC exceeded their target and passed 96% of End of Year PAYE returns to SLC by 31 July 2017. The government is taking steps to develop systems to allow the sharing of student loan repayment information more frequently between HMRC and SLC from April 2019 . This will allow for repayments to be credited and for interest calculations to be undertaken regularly throughout the year.

Pupils: Female Genital Mutilation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that teachers have an adequate understanding of female genital mutilation to (a) report and (b) prevent it.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department publishes statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges to help them and their staff safeguard children from all forms of abuse, including female genital mutilation (FGM). An updated version of this guidance was published on 17 May 2018 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.The guidance contains specific information on FGM, including the mandatory duty to report known cases to the police.In addition, all school staff should receive safeguarding training at induction, which should be updated regularly.

Ministry of Justice

Magistrates: Age

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to increase the maximum age for magistrates.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 25 May 2018



The magistracy is an integral part of the judiciary and therefore, as for all judicial office holders appointed since 1995, magistrates are subject to a uniform mandatory retirement age of 70. This has been the policy of successive Lord Chancellor’s since 1995. The government’s response to the recent report of the Lords Constitution Committee indicated that further consideration would be given to the arguments in favour of, and against, a change to the judicial mandatory retirement age. That consideration is ongoing.

Alternatives to Prison

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in England and Wales were the subject of a (a) probation supervision order and (b) community service order in each of the last five years; and how many of those people had previously served in the Armed Forces.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 25 May 2018



Statistics on the overall number of offenders supervised on community orders and suspended sentence orders can be found in Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2017 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2017 (Probation: 2017, table A4.7) In 2016, the National Probation Service began recording whether an offender had served in the Armed Forces on an Equality Information Form. This information will help to build a better picture of accurate numbers of military offenders and will enable probation services to tailor rehabilitative work and support to their needs. At present it is too early make an accurate assessment, and information on the current numbers could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. We continue to work in partnership with armed forces charities and organisations who have the skills to work with ex-armed service personnel who are entering or leaving custody or are supervised in the community. All offenders, including those with a military background are assessed at the initial point of contact and have access to a range of programmes or interventions. A Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice data matching exercise in 2010 estimated that 5,860 offenders who were under probation supervision had a military background.

Reoffenders: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the largest number of offences committed by a person has been prior to being sent to prison for the first time in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 25 May 2018



The highest number of offences committed by a person prior to receiving a sentence of immediate custody for the first time in 2013-2017 can be viewed in the table. The number of previous cautions or convictions recorded in the table includes some offences which are non-imprisonable. In such cases, the court would not have had the power to send the offender to custody.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.42 KB)

Pre-sentence Reports

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of pre-sentence reports presented to magistrates’ courts contained a sentence recommendation of (a) immediate custody; (b) suspended custody and (c) a community order in the last year for which information is available.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 25 May 2018



The information requested has been provided in the table below showing the number and proportion of recommendations in pre-sentence reports prepared for Magistrates courts in 2017 where the sentence proposed was Community order, Immediate custody or Suspended Sentence. It should be noted that these figures are based on all pre-sentence reports for which a sentence was given and that the total number of proposed sentences also includes instances where a fine was the proposed sentence. Community OrderImmediate custodySuspended SentenceAll proposed sentencesNumber57,9793,58516,56680,271Percentage of all proposed sentences72%4%21%

Prisoners' Release: Curfews

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been released from prison on Home Detention Curfew in each month in the last two years; and what offence each person released on curfew had committed.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 25 May 2018



The attached table shows the number of individuals released on HDC in England and Wales each month for the last two years for which data is available.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 16.41 KB)

Prisons

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice,  how many prisons have held events to observe (a) Holocaust Memorial Day, (b) National Black History Month and (c) Interfaith Awareness Week in each of the last five years; and what his policy is on prisons observing those events.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) potential merits of expansion to other prisons under his jurisdiction of the Empty Spaces project developed by prisoners at Magilligan Prison in Northern Ireland.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 25 May 2018



Prisons are free to decide locally how they participate in Holocaust Memorial Day and Black History Month. Although chaplaincy teams locally may have marked the event in some way, there has been no national engagement regarding Interfaith Awareness Week. National Prison Radio promotes national support for local initiatives, and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service also provides information to prisons via its staff networks to support prison staff in their participation in local events. We do not collect information centrally on the number of prisons which have held such events. We have not evaluated the Empty Spaces project which, as it is being conducted in a prison in Northern Ireland, does not fall under our jurisdiction as we are responsible for Prisons in England and Wales.

Administration of Justice: Offences against Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the potential risk of the judicial system being used to delay investigations by regulatory bodies where there is an ongoing risk to children.

Lucy Frazer: We are determined to maintain our resolute focus on protecting children and vulnerable victims and tackling crimes committed against them. We keep the criminal justice system under review and remain open to evidence that further change and improvement is needed. It is right however, that where criminal investigations are actively progressing that regulatory bodies take that into account.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to reduce the number of assaults on staff and prisoners in Her Majesty’s Prison Service.

Lucy Frazer: Assaults on our hardworking staff and prisoners will not be tolerated. We are taking urgent action to make our prisons safer and address the levels of violence by recruiting extra staff and giving staff the tools to help them reduce violence, including rolling out body worn cameras and trialling the use of PAVA spray. We are investing £100 million to boost the front line and have surpassed our target to recruit 2,500 extra prison officers. This increase will allow us to introduce a new key worker role in all prisons to support better staff-prisoner relationships. We are also supporting the Honourable Member for Rhondda’s Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill, which will double the maximum sentence for an assault on an emergency worker, including prison officers. We have implemented a new drug testing programme and are taking urgent and decisive action to tackle the threat of illicit mobile phones including detection dogs, body scanners and intelligence-led searches. We have invested £2 million in proven and reliable technology to detect illicit items, and we are also taking decisive steps to tackle the use of drones as a supply route for organised criminals to bring contraband into prisons.

Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006: Prosecutions

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many successful prosecutions have been made under the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 in each year since that Act was introduced.

Lucy Frazer: Hate crime of any form is unacceptable and this Government is determined to stamp it out. Sentencing guidelines are clear that hostility towards minority groups should be treated as an aggravating factor – which means offenders face higher maximum penalties. The Home Office published a Hate Crime Action plan in July 2016, setting out plans for further reducing hate crime, increasing reporting and improving support for victims. We have some of the toughest laws in the world in this area, but sentencing is a matter for independent judges based on the facts of each case. The number of offenders found guilty of offences under the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 from 2007-2017 can be viewed in the table. Data for 2018 will be published in May 2019.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.85 KB)

Hate Crime: Convictions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of offences involving racial or religious hatred by offence in each of the last three years.

Lucy Frazer: Hate crime of any form is unacceptable and this Government is determined to stamp it out. Sentencing guidelines are clear that hostility towards minority groups should be treated as an aggravating factor – which means offenders face higher maximum penalties. The Home Office published a Hate Crime Action plan in July 2016, setting out plans for further reducing hate crime, increasing reporting and improving support for victims. We have some of the toughest laws in the world in this area, but sentencing is a matter for independent judges based on the facts of each case. Centrally held information only records offences which are defined in statue as involving racial or religious hatred and this can be accessed via the below link.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017. Please note some other offences can involve a racial or religiously motivated element. This detailed information may be held on the court records but not reported centrally to the MoJ. To identify all offences with a racial or religiously motivated element would incur disproportionate costs.

Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prison

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2018 to Questions 142391, 142392 and 142807 to 142816, on Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prison, what the sentence listed as other was in each case.

Lucy Frazer: 'Other' sentences include anything other than immediate custody, a suspended sentence, a community sentence, an absolute or conditional discharge, or a fine. Pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2018 to Questions 142391, 142392 and 142807 to 142816, the nature of the most recent offence listed as ‘other’ in each such case, broken down by offence, can be viewed in the table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 14.34 KB)

Custodial Treatment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many men were sent to immediate custody from (a) Crown Courts and (b) magistrates' courts for sentences (i) below 6 months and (ii) 6 months or above in each police force area in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: The number of adult males sent to immediate custody from (a) Crown Courts and (b) magistrates' courts in each police force area in England and Wales can be found in the Court Outcomes by Police Force Area tool at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017The police forces, sentence lengths, court types, sex and age groups can be identified from the various relevant drop down boxes in the tool.

Personal Injury: Fraud

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the level of fraudulent injury claims.

Lucy Frazer: The Government remains concerned about the high number and cost of whiplash claims and their impact on motor insurance premiums. The Civil Liability Bill introduced on 20 March will introduce a ban on making offers to settle whiplash claims without medical evidence, which will ensure that insurers can no longer choose to settle claims without verification that they are genuine. The supplementary non-Bill measures to increase the small claims limit for personal injury claims will reduce the costs of civil litigation, encouraging greater challenge to potentially fraudulent claims.These measures will act to deter fraud and to counter the wider compensation culture, as well as building on previous measures taken forward by the Ministry of Justice to control costs, strengthen the medical evidence process and reduce incentives to pursue unmeritorious whiplash claims.

Prisoners: Radicalism

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to prevent the further radicalisation of (a) terrorist and (b) terrorist-related offenders in prison.

Lucy Frazer: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) works closely with a range of partners to tackle terrorism and extremism of all ideologies. HMPPS have a wide range of interventions available to deal with such prisoners including transfer to others prisons, wing moves and where appropriate, segregations. In addition the Government opened its first Separation Centre in June 2017. A second centre open in March 2018. The centres have been established in order to hold the most subversive extremist prisoners, and safeguard the mainstream population from terrorist and extremist influences. HMPPS also has a strong multi-faith Chaplaincy dedicated to working with prisoners on all faith matters including providing a proper understanding of religion. In addition over 14,000 prison staff have received specialist extremism awareness training since January 2017.

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions for badger-baiting were (a) launched and (b) successful by police force in each year from 2010 to date.

Lucy Frazer: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of offences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, in England and Wales, by police force area, from 2010 to 2017, can be viewed in the table. Centrally collated data on prosecutions does not include the Police Force that brought a prosecution, only the Police Force Area in which the case was originally prosecuted at Magistrates’ Court. However, in most cases these will be the same. The data provided is therefore based on the location of the Court in which the prosecution was brought. Information is included only for those Police force Areas where there has been at least one prosecution.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.57 KB)

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Discharges

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 who request a tribunal have received (a) absolute, (b) conditional or (c) deferred discharge in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Lucy Frazer: This table below shows the number and proportion of people detained under the Mental Health Act who have been discharged in each of the last five years.   Years1 Total Cases ClosedAll Disposals2Absolute DischargeDelayed DischargeConditional DischargeDCD2012-201329133849 (2.9%)299 (1.0%290 (1.0%)128(0.4%)2013-2014315921056 (3.3%)341 (1.1%)324 (1.0%)123(0.4%)2014-201531860963 (3.0%)362 (1.1%)323 (1.0%)109(0.3%)2015-201633233907 (2.7%)371 (1.1%)400 (1.2%)139(0.4%)2016-201733618844 (2.5%)378 (1.1%)374 (1.1%)147(0.4%)April 17- December 17p24669676 (2.7%)294 (1.2%)259 ((1.0%140(0.6%)Financial Years April to March. 2. Total Cases closed excludes Invalids and Duplicates / Error   p= Provisional data DCD= deferred conditional discharge

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to conduct a post-implementation review of part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is carrying out a post-implementation review of Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 this year and plans to publish its report by the end of this year.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of high rise buildings with cladding materials which are not of limited combustibility; and what materials are being used instead on each of those buildings.

James Brokenshire: As of 12 April 2018, the testing programme at Building Research Establishment (BRE) has identified 317 buildings with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. Of these, 304 buildings have cladding systems which the expert panel advise are unlikely to meet current building regulations, and therefore present a fire hazard on buildings over 18 metres. Of the 304 buildings, 158 are social housing buildings, 14 are public buildings, 101 are private residential and 31 are student residential.Local authorities are still in the process of identifying and verifying the status and remediation plans for private sector high rise residential buildings with potentially unsafe ACM cladding.We do not hold information on the type of materials used on remediated buildings.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether all high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding have now been identified.

James Brokenshire: As of 12 April, our testing programme at the Building Research Establishment has identified 317 buildings with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding in England. Of these, 304 have cladding systems which the expert panel advise are unlikely to meet current building regulations guidance and therefore present fire hazards on buildings over 18 metres. Of the 304 buildings, 158 are social housing, 14 are public buildings, 101 are private residential and 31 are student residential. We publish the most recent figures on the government website every month. Data is still being collected by local authorities on identification of all private sector buildings.To support the identification of private sector residential buildings over 18 metres with potentially unsafe ACM cladding, on 17 May I issued a direction to all local housing authorities to pay particular regard to cladding-related issues when reviewing housing in their areas.In March, we announced additional funding totalling £1 million to support the most affected local authorities in identifying buildings with unsafe cladding.The Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of potentially dangerous ACM cladding on buildings over 18 metres owned by social landlords, with costs estimated at £400 million.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to support the large-scale testing of unsafe cladding that is made of materials other than aluminium composite material.

James Brokenshire: In line with advice from the Government's independent expert advisory panel, my Department issued advice to building owners on 11 December 2017 about external wall systems that do not incorporate aluminium composite material (ACM) panels. The advice can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/666190/111217_Advice_note_-_Non-ACM_advice.pdfMy Department has also commissioned further research on the fire performance of external wall systems, which we expect to publish later this year.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to introduce a deposit protection scheme for lodgers.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has plans to simplify the settlement of disputes between landlords and tenants renting private rooms.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to support the establishment of a lodger landlords’ association to champion best practice in the sector.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the risk that independent room renting websites which are not part of an accreditation body expose potential tenants to.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to require landlords renting a private room in their home to register with the Residential Tenancies Board.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: It is important that resident landlords understand and meet their obligations to tenants. The Government has published guidance to inform resident landlords of their rights and responsibilities: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letting-rooms-in-your-home-a-guide-for-resident-landlords/letting-rooms-in-your-home-a-guide-for-resident-landlords. This guidance covers a number of areas including deposits, and it encourages resident landlords who take a deposit to keep it in a separate bank account to enable its easy return at the end of the tenancy.The Government has no plans to revisit the legal framework for resident landlords or independent room renting websites. We are supportive of best practice and would be willing to speak to representatives of resident landlords to discuss any industry initiatives to improve standards, however it is not for Government to establish an industry body. With regards to the Residential Tenancies Board, this is an organisation which is based in the Republic of Ireland and does not have jurisdiction in the United Kingdom. There is no intention to make landlords join this organisation, or to make resident landlords register with local authorities.

Landlord and Tenant

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to include lodger landlords in the national database of rogue landlords and property agents.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government has recently strengthened the ability of local authorities to take action where landlords are failing to meet their obligations. This includes launching a national database of rogue landlords and property agents on 1 April 2018. A local housing authority must enter a landlord onto the database if they are subject to a banning order. They also have the discretion to enter a landlord onto the database if they have been convicted of a banning order offence or have received two or more civil penalties for banning order offences in a 12 month period. This could include resident landlords if they have been convicted of an offence under schedule 1 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on which local authorities have not met their duty under the s3 of the Housing Act 2004 to keep housing conditions in their area under review with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken, with respect to the testing of high-rise buildings with suspected unsafe cladding.

James Brokenshire: We have been working with local authorities to identify private sector residential buildings over 18 metres with potentially unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding.We believe we have identified all ACM-clad social housing over 18 metres in England.To support the identification of private sector residential buildings over 18 metres with potentially unsafe ACM cladding, on 17 I issued a direction to all local housing authorities to pay particular regard to cladding-related issues when reviewing housing in their areas. The direction can be found at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707813/Direction_to_local_authority_chief_executives_17_May_2018.pdfThe Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of potentially dangerous ACM cladding on buildings over 18 metres owned by social landlords, with costs estimated at £400 million.

Private Rented Housing

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that rented properties in the private rented sector which are not subject to formal (a) tenancies and (b) licences are adequate for human habitation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Everyone is entitled to live in a decent home. Local authorities already have strong powers under the Housing Act 2004 to deal with hazards and poor conditions in residential properties, regardless of tenure. This includes requiring the owner of the property to take such steps as are necessary to remove a potentially dangerous hazard or deal with poor conditions.In extreme cases, where there is an imminent danger to health and safety, they can prohibit a building from being used or carry out emergency remedial action, and charge the cost back to the owner of the property.

Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will place a temporary moratorium on the use of combustible cladding for the duration of his consultation of the potential merits of a permanent ban on such cladding.

James Brokenshire: There is a statutory requirement in the Building Act to consult on substantive changes to the building regulations. We will publish a consultation on banning the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings as early as practicable and give consultees adequate time to respond to the consultation before deciding how to proceed.The Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of potentially dangerous Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding on buildings over 18 metres owned by social landlords, with costs estimated at £400 million. As recognised by Dame Judith Hackitt’s final report, using products which are non-combustible or of limited combustibility is the lower risk option for remediation.

Housing: North East

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much of the Homes England Home Building Fund has been spent in the North East since October 2016.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average Homes England Home Building Fund loan amount has been since October 2016.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average length of time has been to process loans provided by the Homes England Home Building Fund since October 2016.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 24 May 2018



The £3 billion Home Building Fund provides short term and long term loan finance to build the homes this country needs.An additional £1.5 billion funding was announced in the Autumn 2017 Budget to provide loans specifically targeted at supporting SMEs who cannot access the finance they need to build.The Home Building Fund has been a great success and since launched in October 2016 has delivered 10,747 starts and unlocked 14,704 homes.Also since its launch, a total of £14.2 million has been contracted of which £4.9 million has been spent in the North East of EnglandThe average Loan Amount for Contracted Schemes since October 2016 is £6.5 million and the average length of time to process loans are:284 days between enquiry submitted and contract date229 days between application submitted and contract date153 days between approval date and contract dateThe figures quoted are for both long term and short term funds, which often include complex applications involving infrastructure and site development which may take longer to assess.Due to the different nature of the schemes supported, the time taken from submission to be approved ranged from 11 to 230 days and the time taken from approval to contract ranged from 75 to 354 days. The time taken at both stages reflects the interaction required between the agency and the borrower on each case.There has been a large amount of interest in the funds with over 2,000 enquiries, receiving on average 25 a week since the funds launched and Homes England are working hard to speed up the application process.In order to meet demand, Homes England has introduced a new streamlined enquiry and application process as part of their improved Service Standards and has recruited more staff to manage applications and reduce the timescales.

Gazumping

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the findings of his Department's consultation on improving the home buying and selling process, when his Department plans to take steps to prevent incidents of gazumping in the process of house sales.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 24 May 2018



The Government has committed to working with the sector to develop a standardised reservation agreement for use by buyers and sellers which will be informed by behavioural insights analysis. These agreements will be used to increase commitment between parties, preventing sales falling through and reducing incidents of gazumping.

Victim Support Schemes

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the independent and external audit of domestic abuse services commissioned by his Department which is due to be completed in spring 2018.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We have appointed Ipsos MORI to run the audit of local authority commissioned domestic abuse services. Every local authority has been written to asking for their participation.An online audit questionnaire for completion by local authorities has been developed in consultation with domestic abuse sector partners and a number of local authorities. The questionnaire responses will give us a picture of domestic abuse service provision across the country, enabling us to assess what impact services are having and to identify any gaps in provision.We are continuing to work closely with domestic abuse sector partners, drawing on their data, expertise and knowledge as we explore all options for the future sustainable delivery of domestic abuse services in England.The findings from the audit will help to inform our full review of domestic abuse services which will conclude in the summer.

Victim Support Schemes

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the independent, external audit of domestic abuse services commissioned by his Department will specifically identify specialist domestic abuse services targeted at children and young people.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: I can confirm that the independent, external audit of domestic abuse services commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does ask local authorities to submit information on services that they provide to children and young people who have been affected by domestic violence and abuse. The audit, due to close mid June, will give us a comprehensive picture of provision across England and will inform decisions on future funding arrangements for domestic abuse services.

Council Tax: Diplomatic Service

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings were exempt from council tax in 2016-17 under the class V exemption of occupied for diplomats.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings were exempt from council tax in 2016-17 under the class P exemption for visiting forces accommodation.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings were exempt from council tax in 2016-17 under the class H exemption for unoccupied dwelling held for a minister of religion.

Rishi Sunak: Data on the number of dwellings exempt from council tax by each class of exemption is published at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/659435/Table_5.xlsx

Ministry of Defence

European Fighter Aircraft: Safety Measures

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how Enhance Collision Avoidance System fitted in Typhoon aircraft interacts with Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System II equipped in civil aircraft in a potential collision environment.

Guto Bebb: Existing transponders fitted to Typhoon aircraft already have the capability to generate a traffic alert in any Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)-equipped civil or military aircraft.It will reduce the risk of mid-air collision and enhance the situational awareness of Typhoon aircrew when in congested airspace, providing additional protection for our RAF Typhoon pilots.Stage one of the Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness System will not interact with the civil TCAS.

European Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the costs associated with installation of the Enhanced Collision Avoidance System in Typhoon aircraft.

Guto Bebb: Introducing stage one of the Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) on to Typhoon is just one of a series of capability enhancements, with a current overall contract value of £45 million.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in York have had their entitlement to personal independence payments upheld as a result of (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) an appeal hearing.

Guy Opperman: The number of Mandatory Reconsideration clearances for Personal Independence Payment in York Local Authority broken down by clearance type for each financial year since its introduction is as follows: Financial YearNew Decision - Award ChangedNew Decision - Award UnchangedDecision Not RevisedWithdrawn/ CancelledTotal13/14##1002014/155017060#28015/1670300101039016/171204402030610Apr 17 - Jan 18803202030440Total3201,230120701,740  The number of appeals for Personal Independence Payment in York Local Authority broken down by outcome for each financial year since its introduction is as follows: Financial YearDecision OverturnedDecision UpheldTotal14/15#101015/16905014016/1713070200Apr 17 - Dec 1712050160Total330180510 Reconsiderations data is available to January 2018. Appeals data is to December 2017.#’ means greater than zero but fewer than 5 in this category.Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants, and is for both new claims and DLA reassessment claimsSome decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal. Therefore the number of people who had a decision changed at mandatory reconsideration and the number of people who had a decision changed at tribunal appeal cannot be added together.Award overturned at appeal may include a small number of appeals that have been lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at Tribunal).The Local Authority Region geography relates to the origin of the claim (i.e. derived from claimant’s postcode) rather than the location of where the tribunal was held.Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this appeal data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.

Low Pay: Means-tested Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has assessed the potential merits of extending in-work progression services to all low-paid workers in receipt of means-tested benefits and not just universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit is replacing six key in-work and out-of-work benefits. Universal Credit supports and encourages claimants who are in low-paid work, or in low-income households, to earn more. It does this by removing the financial cliff edges of the legacy benefit system and replacing them with a single, smooth taper rate of 63%. This means that claimants will always be £37 better off for every £100 net increase in their earnings. Claimants on existing legacy benefits whose circumstances have not changed will begin to migrate over to Universal Credit from 2019 as part of DWP’s Managed Migration process and will be subject to the new entitlement conditions. We are developing the evidence base to help us understand how best to support people in work to reach their potential, to progress, and to be more productive. We recently completed the delivery of a large-scale Randomised Control Trial, for which the final evaluation will be published in the autumn and will inform any further policy development.

Unemployment: Scotland

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the minimum monthly living expenses required for a single unemployed person in central Scotland.

Alok Sharma: The Department has not made an assessment of the minimum monthly living expenses required for a single unemployed person in central Scotland. However, the Department publishes a range of measures of living standards in the Households Below Average (HBAI) publication. The latest estimates are to 2016/17 and 2017/18 results have been pre-announced to be published in February / March 2019.

Food Banks

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government will commission independent research to assess trends in the number of people (a) signposted and (b) referred to food banks in areas where full service universal credit has been rolled out.

Kit Malthouse: The Department has not carried out any research into trends in the number of people using food banks. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently reviewing research carried out by organisations including the Trussell Trust, to add to our understanding of food bank use.

Universal Credit: North Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made on the roll-out of universal credit at (a) Rhyl Job Centre and (b) throughout North Wales.

Alok Sharma: Rhyl Jobcentre rolled out Universal Credit in April 2018. Welsh jobcentres are in the latter part of the rollout schedule and the rollout dates can be viewed in the Universal Credit Transition Rollout Schedule:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/693928/universal-credit-transition-rollout-schedule.pdf As part of the implementation activities DWP are working closely with local stakeholders including the Welsh Local Government Association and the Welsh Universal Credit Advisory Group to ensure a safe and secure delivery across Wales We made a written ministerial statement on 22 March 2018 about changes to the Universal Credit rollout schedule (primarily for Welsh speaking sites) to allow for introduction of a Welsh language capability. The written ministerial statement can be accessed at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statements/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&dept=29&keywords=welsh

Children: Maintenance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of civil enforcement actions for the non payment of child maintenance liability orders in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: The number of civil enforcement actions for non payment of a child maintenance liability are published quarterly in Table 11 of the Child Maintenance Service experimental statistics data tables, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/684262/tables-child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-december-2017.ods A Paying Parent can be taken to court over unpaid child maintenance. The courts can grant liability orders which allow the parent to be referred to Enforcement Agents who could come and take away property to be sold to pay the unpaid maintenance and costs. The courts could also apply a charging order to force the parent to sell property (Orders for Sale) and use the money to pay off the unpaid maintenance. If these methods fail the Child Maintenance Service can apply for the courts to disqualify the parent from driving or send them to prison.

Unemployment: Young People

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides to 18-24 year olds in Oldham who are not in employment, education and training.

Alok Sharma: Youth unemployment in the UK is at a near record low; 5 per cent of young people aged 16-24 are unemployed and not in full time education. The latest claimant count for 18-24 year olds in the Oldham local authority area is 1,415, an increase of 485 on the year, which is due in part to Universal Credit expanding the ‘Searching for Work’ conditionality group*. However, this a fall of 720 since April 2010. The Government remains committed to providing targeted support for young people so that everyone, no matter what their start in life, is given the very best chance of getting into work. That is why we offer a range of support to young people to help them prepare for and move into work or an apprenticeship. Young jobseekers, aged 18-21, in Oldham are being supported by the Youth Obligation Support Programme. This programme helps claimants become effective jobseekers from the start of their claim, provides tailored support and access to work-related training, including the offer of a guaranteed work experience placement if they are still unemployed after 6 months. Young people up to the age of 25 also receive intensive work-focused coaching and referral to additional support tailored to their individual needs, drawn from a wide menu of available local provision within Oldham. This includes work experience, sector-based work academies, traineeships and other provision. * The claimant count is currently designated as an experimental statistic by the Office for National Statistics as a result of the roll out of Universal Credit. Universal Credit full service expands the ‘Searching for Work’ conditionality group to cover a wider group of claimants, to encourage these claimants into work or to work more. This policy decision has the effect of bringing additional people into the claimant count compared to the pre-Universal Credit system and the number of people recorded as being on the Claimant Count is therefore likely to rise. DWP have published a consultation on developing a new measure for labour market performance over time. this can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposals-for-a-new-statistical-series-to-count-unemployed-claimants

Employment Schemes: Young People

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent from the public purse on support for 18-24 year olds in Oldham who are not in employment, education and training in each of the last five years.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not routinely recorded, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Young People

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals on restoring the automatic eligibility of 18 to 21 year olds to claim universal credit for their housing costs.

Kit Malthouse: We want to make this change as soon as is practicable. This change needs to be made in regulations and also built into the Universal Credit operating system.

Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the Bereavement Support Payments Regulation 2017.

Kit Malthouse: We intend to assess the impact of Bereavement Support Payment once sufficient evidence is available to assess all aspects of the policy.

Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the savings to the Exchequer since the introduction of the Bereavement Support Payment Regulations 2017.

Kit Malthouse: Initially we will be investing extra funds into the reform to bereavement benefits and significant savings are not anticipated during the course of this Parliament.

Bereavement Support Payment

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families have claimed bereavement support since 6 April 2017.

Kit Malthouse: The Department publishes quarterly Bereavement Support Payment statistics that show the volume of claims being paid broken down by standard rate and higher rate payments. Claimants with dependent children and entitled to Child Benefit, or who were pregnant, when their husband, wife or civil partner died will get the higher rate. The latest statistics are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistical-summaries-2018.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent the illegal culling of badgers.

George Eustice: Government takes the issue of illegal badger killing very seriously. Any evidence of unlawful activity relating to badgers or their setts is passed directly to the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to advance the efficacy of the phage vaccine for bovine TB.

George Eustice: Defra is not aware of any research on the use of bacteriophages (viruses of bacteria) as vaccines for bovine TB. The current leading vaccine candidate is BCG which is an attenuated strain of the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis and not a bacteriophage. However, there is a company developing a Phage test to detect TB. I have met with the developers of this test to discuss their work and officials are engaging with them on the regulatory process they need to go through.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations he has received from animal welfare organisations on the terms of reference for the Godfray Review on badger culling.

George Eustice: As envisaged in its terms of reference, the Bovine TB Strategy Review has published a formal call for evidence and held meetings with several external organisations to inform its discussion of future priorities for disease control. This engagement provides an opportunity for people and organisations interested in the welfare of animals to submit information on relevant topics. The call for evidence closes on 31 May. All representations will be considered carefully.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many badgers are planned to be culled in each trial zone for the remainder of the cull period.

George Eustice: Defra’s advice to Natural England on setting the minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be culled in licensed areas in 2018 will be published on gov.uk in due course.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department is undertaking into the study of immunity against bovine TB among (a) badgers and (b) cattle.

George Eustice: Research on the effect of vaccination in reducing the susceptibility to, and progression of, bovine TB in both cattle and badgers is ongoing at APHA. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), in conjunction with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), launched the TB advantage trait in January 2016 which identifies bulls from dairy breeds which appear to have a reduced susceptibility to TB. Research on a similar approach in beef breeds is underway by the same groups.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to increase public awareness of voter registration in England at the age of 16 in the last 12 months.

Chloe Smith: Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are responsible for maintaining a complete and accurate electoral register. Many EROs undertake effective democratic engagement activities with young people and other population groups. Government has a role to play as well. By making it possible to apply to register to vote online we have transformed the ease and speed with which people can get on the register. Statistics show that the registration website is especially popular with younger people. Ahead of the 2017 General Election the Government supported the Electoral Commission’s campaign to encourage voter registration by sharing their campaign materials through existing government social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as our own networks. We also published reminder register to vote messages on our high traffic GOV.UK pages, such as DVLA and HMRC. In addition, last December, we published a Democratic Engagement Plan which sets out our priorities for raising awareness of democracy and participation in our democratic processes – including registering to vote – amongst a number of different groups, including young people. Linked to this work and the Suffrage Centenary celebrations we have launched a pack for parliamentarians, announced the recruitment and training of youth democracy ambassadors and will make a secondary schools resource for 13-16 year olds. Working with partners, including those in the youth charity sector, we are looking forward to the inaugural National Democracy Week (2-8 July 2018). This is designed to promote democratic participation amongst all under registered groups, including attainers.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Tickets: Sales

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking following the action taken by the Advertising Standards Authority against misleading presentation of pricing information on the websites of secondary ticket operators.

Margot James: The Government is determined to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour in the online ticketing market and improve fans’ chances of buying tickets at a reasonable price. We have strengthened the existing ticketing provisions in the Consumer Rights Act 2015, are in the process of introducing a new criminal offence of using automated software to buy more tickets than that allowed, and support the work of the Competition and Markets Authority and National Trading Standards in enforcing the law in this area. We recognise, however, that Government can’t act alone in addressing this issue, and that the ticketing industry, regulatory bodies, and online platforms need to take actions themselves. We welcome the action taken in March by the Advertising Standards Authority against four of the main operators in the secondary ticketing sector banning the misleading presentation of pricing information on their websites, and the assurances from these platforms that they would make changes to their websites to comply with this ruling. We hope this will help improve transparency in the market and help consumers find legitimate official ticketing sites.

Channel 4 Television

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic benefits to the North West of relocating Channel 4 to Merseyside.

Margot James: We have long been committed to Channel 4 moving out of London, and welcome Channel 4's agreement to move 300 staff out of London, rising over time. There are many creative locations across the UK, including in the North West, which could see a significant positive economic impact from Channel 4 relocating staff. The decision on new out of London locations will be taken by Channel 4, and Channel 4 has said it will take this decision in Q3 2018.